Another year passes by....

Another year is reaching its end!

For anyone who has stumbled upon my blog and has read any of it.  You will know that I have not stuck with it and only write once a year.  Commitment is part of success.  I've had ups and downs over the last few years and am now ready to share what I've learned.

At times life tends to catch up to us.  We miss small opportunities that would lead us to a better, more fulfilling life.  I travel for a living and have for the past 8.5 years.  I have relocated my family to provide a better living environment and made every attempt to improve our lives.  I've made several mistakes along the way but have been able to learn from them.  In the interim, I have read several books to help with finances and gathered much knowledge to advance my goals.  Does this qualify me as an expert?  Probably not but does it allow me to help someone else avoid the same mistakes?  Most likely but as the old adage goes "Opinions are like @$$holes, everyone has one".  If I offend anyone, that's good, means you're reading, listening and learning.  It gets you out of your comfort zone, causing you to form your own path to success.  If you're easily offended, then "Suck it up Buttercup" because the road to success doesn't get any easier and isn't for the soft hearted.  I'm not saying that you shouldn't be kind at heart or caring but you will need thick skin to advance.  You may feel I'm pushing your buttons at this point but that is also good.  Everyone needs a little poke now and then to get up and moving towards their goals.  Every year I make new commitments.  Some I keep, some I lose and forget about.  Kind of like this blog, seems to get lost in the shuffle of everyday life.

So lets get started....

First off, my thoughts tend to be a little scattered at times and the order of events may vary from what is told.  I will do my best not to jump around but I can't guarantee this.  Secondly, although spell check is available for this, my grammar isn't always the best either.  As most anyone may know the English language isn't the most friendly to learn.  Thirdly, I don't believe in or perform "Political Correctness"!  You can see for yourself what political correctness has done to USA so if that's what you've come looking for then you've arrived at the wrong location.  Please take your ball and go home, with your tail between your legs or what ever you feel necessary to shield yourself from the offensiveness I may spew out.  Don't worry though, I'm an equal opportunity offender and won't discriminate when I do offend.

With the disclaimer out of the way, lets continue....

In 2007 the economy headed into a tailspin that would last what seemed a lifetime.  I was actually making more than I had my entire life but still like most living paycheck to paycheck.  We lived in PA and over my life the area progressively went down hill.  The bad elements from NJ and NYC were slowly moving in as the older generations moved out or died off.  My home which had been my grandfathers since 1948, went from having a latch hook on the garage door and a skeleton key for the back door all had to be dead bolted.  A security system was installed to reduce the threat of break-ins but to no avail.  Security systems had to be installed on the cars that use to be left unlocked only a few years earlier.  This was the breaking point.  As much as I liked the home and wished to keep it in the family I quickly realized it was time to move on.  My wife had prodded my for years about leaving and now was the time.  I told her pick a state and I'll find a job there.  Our first original focus was on Maine but a recruiter called with a position in Iowa.  If I had been a little more knowledgeable of the countries events, I probably would have passed on the opportunity.  It was in the automotive parts manufacturing industry.  When I interviewed there, it seemed like a golden opportunity to get my family to a better part of the country but little did I know that the industry itself was about to spiral into a bottomless pit.  It was the end of 2008, I excepted the position and used my life savings to move the family to a fixer upper farm house in rural IA.  At first the position itself paid well with the overtime but then the cutbacks started.  Reduction of hours yet to mention the temporary shutdowns that mirrored car manufactures which meant temporary layoffs.  I should have figured that there was something up with the new employer when everyone I met and heard where I was working suggested other places that could use my expertise.  Needless to say, there was way more drama there than I wanted to deal with.  After 8 months, enough was enough and I was in search of something better.  In mid 2009 I lucked out and found a position that I already knew the equipment and some of the people that worked there.  The pay wasn't as high as I'd like but I figured it would work out.   Unfortunately the economy was worsening and everyone was tightening their belts including my new industry.  What made matters worse was that I had dug a hole that was a bit of a challenge to dig out of.  The car and house were behind and I couldn't afford to lose either one.  Another thing that went against me was that the IRS had audited my move and were nailing me with some new taxes for the money I used to buy my house.  Life seemed to make a turn for the worst.  We were close to losing everything just when things should have been getting better.

The next couple of years almost seem like a blur.  2010 led to many sleepless nights of worry.  The problems compounding themselves like catching up on payments and the fixer upper house needing way more than anticipated.  Our electric had issues and I had started a claim that didn't turn into anything payable for insurance but my insurance company decided to drop us.  Now was a panic to find a provider and after several I finally found one that would work with our otherwise non-insurable house.  I had to resort to hiding our vehicle to prevent repossession.  My new company gave us 2 weeks of unpaid furlough which didn't help matters.  Our church though, gave us some money towards our bills and took a collection that paid our propane for the winter.  A change in how we shopped also proved to help in cost cutting.  This is when we went to a Thrift Shop that was missions based.  Everyone working there were volunteers and all proceeds went towards bible missions.  We bought the kids a ton of clothes and I picked up a handful of financial books.  Can't be reading material for a quarter.  This is what started me on a new path, a new path to financial awareness.  This isn't the only thing that helped.  My Dale Carnegie coarse also added great value to my knowledge of our financial situation.  Due to my hard work ethics and being dependable my salary increased to more livable levels for the family.  Also the kids were growing up and moving out.

2011 was the getting over the hump year.  It was still tough but the light started to shine brightly at the end of the long tunnel we were in.  The Yukon was finally paid off freeing up a substantial amount of cash and lifting a very heavy burden off the family.  I was able to slowly make the changes mentioned in the books I was reading to secure financial stability.  I pretty much broke even that year with at least making on time payments.  The older 2 kids were the new problems where they needed transportation so I forked over money I really didn't have to get so vehicles.  Of course this placed new added costs to my bottom line that I wasn't ready for.  Let alone things that had to be fixed on the house such as the porch floor, stairs and roof.  Seemed like every time I had a plan to save something else would pop up to take it away.  This is were I became creative and used forced savings.  So before I continue with my trials and tribulations, lets look at what some of the financial books said.

• Pay yourself  before all else

This is in every book.  You work hard for you money so you should get to keep some of it for your own wants and desires.  We are too quick to create bills and make that the focus a priority in our lives.  In todays society everything is direct deposit.  We don't get a paycheck and then run to the back to cash it, split it up between savings, checking and cash in the pocket for shopping.  Those days are long gone.  The ATM and credit cards are the norm.  With that being the case we have a bad habit of going to the ATM, looking at what's in the account and judging how much we can suck out for cash and what needs to remain to pay bills.  This is where forced savings really helps.  I have a couple accounts that aren't easily accessible.  They aren't with a local bank that I can just go to a grab the cash.  I know when my check is deposited so I have a portion automatically rerouted to these "other" accounts.  If you start with a small amount, you will never miss it.  Once you realize that it doesn't hurt you and you see the cash growing, you'll find more ways to add more.  I get paid twice a month on the 15th and 30th every month.  So on both those dates I have $5 transferred from my main account to my forced savings account.  I also had a written goal of how much I wanted to have in the bank.  This amount can be what every you feel comfortable with.  I also looked at tax advantages such as my companies 401K that has a match percentage up to a certain amount.  That's like getting free money and you should take as much advantage of that as possible.  Here again I started small with 1%.  Every year when my raise comes up I'll add 1%.  I never miss the few extra dollars that are being deferred plus it helps shelter some of my earnings at tax time.  I also started putting towards and IRA.  I started out small and keep working my way up. 

• Give to your church or charity

I understand that this can be as challenging at times the same as paying yourself but it plays a very important part of how money works.  The funny thing I've found about this is that although I didn't give regularly, every time I did things seemed to improve.  After our church had given to my family to get through the tough financial situation we were in, I made a conscious decision to give back.  I had never had an institution give in such a way.  I have successfully increased my contribution to them every year since.  You can feel good knowing that the money you are giving is going to help others.  Along with this it is tax deductible and will help when the tax man comes knocking the following year.  Here again it is best to start out small and comfortable.

I know what you're thinking... I can't make ends meet now and you want me to give my money away. Even stash some for a rainy day.  It seems ominous and near impossible but here I am today working on my new 2nd level savings goal.  I've given more than I have ever given in my life and have put more away then ever before.  I now have some cash set aside for true emergencies.  Remember, you can have more than one account where you put your money away.  I have several and the "total" of all accounts is what sets my goal.  I can easily switch funds between accounts via on-line and have debit cards tied to them for true emergencies.  A true emergency isn't the need to have Chinese or a movie night.  It's for when you need the doctor, car repair or some other unforeseen issue arises.  You'll be happy you saved it up.  Also make sure there aren't any fees and you're getting interest on your money.  If you're not gaining anything or you're paying out just for the convenience of have the money in an account, it's not worth it.  Find a bank that allows you to truly save and earn.

I'm going to stop here for today but I hope this gives you some encouragement and a place to start your road to success and financial freedom.

Regards and Happy Holidays

Welcome to a New Year!

Welcome 2015 and a prosperous New Year!

      Today is the start of the New Year and a prosperous you!  Do you believe that?  I do!  We all run into struggles as I have myself and which you can read in my past blogs.  I see people struggle everyday but I also see the people who continue on to enrich themselves and use their struggles to become stronger.  I like to learn from my mistakes and share them with others to prevent them from making the same mistakes.  I think back on the things that I use to enjoy and wonder why I don't do those things anymore.  I enjoyed model railroading but haven't in over 20 years.  I loved working on my '67 Chevelle but rarely touch it these days.  I like to work on the house and make changes that bring out my creativity.  Looking back, I've spent half my life working for someone else and just scraping by.  Some of the books that I've read have really made me think about my future, my direction.

     Today is the start of a new beginning, for you and me.  Some people have used dream boards or even post-it notes to have their dreams constantly in their view.  How about you?  I've been told that if you have these things around you, they will penetrate your subconscious mind and you will make unknown changes to achieve what you want.  If you place negative things around you, your life will always be negative.  I'm not the neatest person or the most organized but I know where everything is.  Every time I clean things up, everything ends up missing and my time becomes absorbed by attempting to locate these items.  Likewise, your vocabulary can effect your attitude.  If you constantly say "I'll try to do that", the word try is really meaningless.  You need to replace it with "I will do this", the word will is a powerful word to get what you want.

     Today is the start to your prosperity and happiness.  Make it a point to move forward.  Forget the past failures but learn from them.  Make a plan for the future and set goals for this year and the next 5 years.  I might not be taking the vacations that I did in years past but that hasn't stopped me from looking and discovering new places that I'd like to go with my family.  My work takes me all over the country as well as to other countries.  I would have never imagined that I'd be suited for such a life since I never preferred traveling before.  Now I don't think I'd be able to go back to the normal drive and work schedule.  No one knows what their work future really is, so it is best to always be prepared for change.  I'm making provisions for the eventual end of my present position but will have something in place that will allow me to continue traveling.  Having my own business has always been in my sights and now incorporating traveling with it would be a plus.  I know the many things I have learned can help others keep from falling into the traps of debt and dis-pare as had once been in.  Tell yourself, "I will be prosperous and happy in 2015!".

Cheers to you and prosperous, Happy New Year!

It's been a while... but I'm back and ready for an exciting New Year!

So here is the update that has been over two years in the making!

     When last I entered anything into this blog, I was making great strides to a better life, brighter future and more success.  I am happy to report that all of that and more have been coming to pass in my life.  I have saved more and gave more then I have my entire life.  I have truly been blessed these past couple of years and would like to share it with you.  I have been for the most part reading many financial books as I've been flying.  Needless to say when one spends about 16 hours a week traveling through various airports, it is best to have something that will help pass the time.  What is interesting about all the books that I have read over the past couple of years is that they basically all say the same thing.  Pay yourself first, this puts money away for that rainy day.  My thought follows what many claim, but I don't have any money left to save.  Every dime goes towards bills and food.  This is where I'd like to point out the "Pay YOURSELF first!"  Even if you only put $5.00 into a separate account each pay, it's at least something and believe me, you won't even miss it.  I have an account through the former ING Direct, now Capitol One 360, and have X amount automatically withdrawn every pay period.  I started out small and slowly raised the amount as I felt comfortable and as my bills were paid off.  Yes, paid off!  You can also create as many accounts as you'd like and set up as many different automatic deposits as you see fit.  Each account then can be labeled for specific things such as, deductibles or Christmas fund.  Typically you should be socking away 10% of your income.  Next all the books pointed to giving of tithing.  This too should be at least 10% of your income.  Now I had barely given anything to anyone for all my life but since the gift that our local church had given us in our time of need, that was about to change.  I made it a point to give something, every week or at least every pay period.  Again I started small and worked my way up.  Given that most people will look at their account balance and go from there, I never really missed the money that I saved or gave.  I have been doing this ever since and this has actually help in some unforeseen situations.

     Now you don't have to take my word for it but after reading about 10 different books on finance and getting out of debt that all mentioned the same thing, I had to believe there was something to it.  Over the past couple of years, I have proved what the books had mentioned.  I only have two payments that are loans, all else are regular monthly bills such as telephone, satellite, electric and gas.  Of course we still have groceries and auto to contend with.  The economy picked up which led to more traveling and longer hours which also contributed to socking away a few more bucks.  My company began giving out bonuses again which also helped.  On the downside of things my children are slowly growing up and moving on.  My oldest has lived just over 1000 miles away but luckily I get to see her once or twice a year.  My next graduated in 2013 so I've slowly lost some of my original tax advantages.  With that being said I've recently started an IRA separate from my 401K plan to leverage some more tax relief from my growing income.

      I'm sure I could go on and on but seeing how this is the last day of 2014 with mere hours left before the New Year, I'd like to leave everyone with this:

I wish everyone a Blessed and Prosperous Holiday and New Year!

January's gone!

     That's right, January has passed us and we are now starting February.  As 2012 begins, some great things have been happening.  I've joined the Personal Prosperity Project to enhance my learning of the Law of Attraction.  This whole project has been set in motion by Ryan Harris, creator of Prosperity Radio.  This 13 week coarse takes people from all over the world into a new style of coaching method focusing on the Law of Attraction to create prosperity.  Ryan makes it fun and engaging to interact with others to learn from each other.  He even schedules a few coaching a question calls each week.  The weekly fun work assignments really get you thinking and doing "outside" the box.  Joining Ryan in the Personal Prosperity Project has helped tremendously in setting a positive start to 2012.

     So how is this year really shaping up?  Better than last, that's for sure.  To start with, I'm right on target if not ahead of schedule to get or Yukon XL paid off.  This also gets our mortgage back on track.  Our savings is growing and I haven't missed a week of church or giving.  When I thought we might have a problem in the middle of January, a small miracle occurred that made everything alright.  My eBay sales did well to fill in the gaps and 2012 is looking to be a very good year.  The next few weeks will be crucial to the over all outlook to this year but with God willing we will have the best year we've had in a long time.

     I've also been exploring the use of subliminal and binaural recordings to stimulate and enhance the Law of Attraction.  This does seem be having a positive effect on my life.  I utilize it everyday to enforce the desire for wealth and prosperity.  Using this in conjunction with the Personal Prosperity Project has given me new direction and better focus on how I want 2012 to end.  I believe strongly that this will be a great year and everything that I'm projecting will be my reality in the end.  I have also been reading Wallace Wattles - The Science of Getting Rich.  He states that if we do things in a certain way, we can get rich or simply put attract wealth, but if we don't we will actually repel it.  I'm not sure when this was written but it was apparently written some time ago.  The Science of Getting Rich translates strongly to the Law of Attraction and touches upon many key factors of how we can acquire wealth by doing things in a certain way.  It is a worth while read at only 66 pages and recommend it, even if it is a bit dated. 

     Well that's about it for now, until next time, have yourself a great and prosperous day:).

Thrive! In 2012

     Thrive!  Enter the year with an expectant heart!  That was the message from Pastor Doug at this mornings service.  As 2011 slipped away into oblivion at 11:59:59 PM last night, a sigh of relief came over me.  It was finally over, done, gone and just a figment of my memory.  I had thought that 2010 was a year to forget but I was wrong.  2011 presented itself as a year of hope but became a let down.  When I went to service this morning, I did so with peace and more joy then I had in a long time.  2012 truly is a year of hope and great prosperity.  How can I say this and know it's true?  I realize, I was wrong about last year, but I also made some grave mistakes that cost me.  The cost was mental, physical and financial, but I've learned from this.  I've learned that I am repeating mistakes that I've made before and now was the time for change.

     Pastor Doug went on to say that there are four things to expect this year...

1. Expect a prophetic word.
• A new word and Proverbs 29:2 came to mind
• Where the righteous thrive, the family will rejoice!   
2. Expect a message.
• Repentance
• Forgiveness
3. Expect to be Fruitful.
4. Expect a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.

     I've grown spiritually this past year and for that I am thankful for of last year.  The strains placed on myself and my family weighed heavy through the year.  I have created a plan and have been monitoring it and sticking to it.  Making adjustments as needed to stay in line with my set goals for 2012.  I've made positive changes and have created constant reminders to keep me on track.  I see great freedom just around the corner and have the days marked on the calendar.  Counting the days until I am free of some major debt.  I've sought out knowledgeable people that can help me overcome my fears and get my creativity started.  I've regained the confidence I had years ago that helped me climb to new success.

     So if you're looking to make a New Years Resolution look no further.  Make the first one a commitment to yourself, your dreams, your goals, your greatest desires.  Take them all and make a plan to have a Happy and Prosperous New Year.  This will bring you Success from within!

Seasons Greetings 2011

     First I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, although a day late.  It is tough at times to find the time to do all the things we'd like.  So with that in mind I'd like to also wish everyone a Happy New Year as well.  As 2011 comes to a quick close, I have been giving the past year a quick review.  The start of 2011 was a rough one with great financial strains throughout the world.  I had proclaimed that 2011 would be the year to overcome many of my personal challenges.  Financially, 2011 was a roller-coaster ride from hell.  Many of us fell off the ride, while others barely hung on to what we had.  Here again, from personal experience, I too clung on for dear life.  Yes, that's right, I did anything and everything to keep what little I had.  January to March was a battle of keeping my home, job and car.  Congress was playing with the taxes and delayed my return but in the end I still have all three.  I had mentioned in my last blog that I learned many things from my Dale Carnegie training.  Getting stressed out over things that might happen can kill you or in the least, make you very ill.  Everything that I worried about never came to pass.

     March to June looked promising and did fare pretty well, but with summer rolling in the financial woes started again.  Robbing Peter to pay Paul seemed to become a way of life.  I will tell you from this repeating experience, it DOESN'T work long and only make things worse.  Lucky for me, things seem to turn out right, one way or another.  July and August brought family issues and concerns that made for a very emotional time.  The decisions made during this time governed September.  We had to send my oldest daughter to stay with some friends over 1000 miles away.  October was a settling month, trying to get things back into some kind of order.  November is to be a month of thanksgiving.  This is where the financial company for our car lowered the boom.  When the statement came, my chin hit the floor.  The loan hit it's maturity and I owed a balance of $6000.00 by the due date.  Normally I would have panicked, but instead, I analyzed the situation and decided to try for a refinance to the balance.  Although the vehicle is blue booked for twice what I owed, no one would refinance it.  So I stuck to my guns and kept sending the normal payment.  They haven't come for the car and the December statement only states the same as the last but with a lower balance.  Again, here is an excellent example of why not to worry about things such as this.  December is here and Christmas has come at last.  Only days remain of 2011 and now I look towards 2012 with great promise.

     So what's in store for me in 2012?  Well first, the financial outlook is way better this coming year then last.  The 2011 tax return will pay off the remaining balance on the car.  This will free up all that money that has been going towards it all these years.  With that we can follow some of the principals that I have learned through several financial books I have read this past year.  I have vowed not to make the same mistakes that I have made in the past.  This will mark a new success in my life and your invited to follow along.  Discover the true meaning of Success from within.

     Recently, sometime in October, I had traveled to Albuquerque, New Mexico for a service call.  When returning, I picked up a few gift items at the airport for my family.  I did find an item that I had some time ago and thought I should pick it up.  It's called a worry stone.  I had one years ago, when worry consumed me and was taking a huge toll on my health.  It came from an Irish stand at a mall that explained it's use and why you shouldn't worry.  Since we moved several times over the years, my worry stone has disappeared.  This presented me with opportunity to revisit it's use.  Simpy put, I will use part of my Dale Carnegie training with the help of my new found worry stone.  I write my worries down on a piece of paper and place it under the worry stone.  If I have new worries I right them down and place them under the stone.  After some time passes, a few weeks or a month, I check my list of worries.  I have come to find that most of my worries are meaningless and come to pass with no real issues.  This is a big key to finding success from within.  If we burden ourselves with worries, we'll have no time to realize our successes.

    

Have a Happy and Wonderful Holiday Season!

What is your definition of success?

What is your definition of success?

          When I started this blog, I gave the definition that Websters Dictionary had for success.  As noted by them, the definition changed.  I know it has been a while since my last posting but on occasion, everyone needs time to reflect.  Society today, looks very differently at success then we did in the past.  The whole point of this blog is to show everyone that our perception of success is wrong.  After spending 8 weeks in Dale Carnegie training, I have learned many things about getting my point across and giving my readers a true visualization of what I'm talking about.  First off, how can anyone relate to what I'm trying to convey without proper examples?  Real life examples, to show that everyone has experienced success at some point in their life.  Stories of real people who found out that success is not just being wealthy or having that high paying career.  I have also been travelling much of this year and found a lot of time to read several books on debt elimination.  This subject can be tied into ones desire to discover success from within.

          Let's start with the basics shall we...  Success to me is setting a goal and seeing it through to it's conclusion.  Resolving a problem or issue can also be called success.  Why?  Simple, if John needs some money to replace his tires he could go to the bank but if he doesn't have enough in his account, he will need to get the money somewhere.  With this example, John has two goals.  First is to get the money needed for the tires and second is to take the money and get the tires he needs.  John can solve first situation in a few ways.  John can save up the money, putting a few dollars away each pay period until he has enough for the tires.  He can work more hours and use the extra money earned to get the tires.  He can borrow the money, this is not recommended seeing how the value of the tires decrease over time.  All of the debt management books I have read agree that using credit to buy such an item is finacial suicide.  John can sell something he no longer wants or needs to pay for the tires.  So you see John has many options to get the money.  Once John has collected enough money to cover the costs, we can say that John was "successful" at reaching this first goal.  Next is getting the tires.  John simply needs to find a tire dealer, make the appointment and purchase the tires.  John now has "succeeded" in replacing the tires he needed.  Society doesn't see this as a success but John was successful in getting the tires by being successful in getting the money needed to purchase them.  It is the little successes we have that lead us to greater success.

          All the experts and guru's tend to agree, that we need to take little steps to reach a big goal.  A hand written plan that lays out little goals that help advance us to our final goal.  If a goal is set too big, we tend to get frustrated and give up easily but, if we set smaller goals, not achieving one is just a minor set back.  I, myself, have been battling a finacial crisis for the last fee years.  Every time I think I'm getting close to surmounting the situation, something new pops up to knock me down a few pegs.  I use to worry about this constantly, causing many nights of lost sleep and stomach ailments.  While attending the Dale Carnegie training, I was assigned to read How To Stop Worring & Start Living by Dale Carnegie.  The information contained within this book was life changing.  Sir William Osler was quoted "Live in Day-tight Compartments."  Shut the doors on the past and the future, live the day and the day alone.  With this the past is the past and should not be relived and the future hasn't happened yet so why fret over it?  I also learned to write my worries down and stick them in a drawer.  In a month or so pull them out and see the results.  Most of our worries are for nothing, by writing them down and later seeing the outcome reassures us of that.  I worried about my job, home and vehicle, just to see that my worries never materialized.  Now I use what is called a worry stone.  I take the worries I have writen down and place them under the worry stone.  Now the worry stone can worry about them.

          The last thing for today would be another quote from Dale Carnegie's book How To Stop Worrying & Start Living is "Thy will be done".  All the books that I have read dealing with overcoming financial burden mentioned giving and accepting the will of God.  Following the belief that if it is God's will for this to happen to me, than so be it.  It is said in the Bible that God provides for our every need and rewards us when we are deserving.  The mistake that most people make is that we, myself included, believe things are owed us but in God's eyes we truely are not deserving.  I will leave the giving discussion for another day but want to point out that unless we are thankful for the things we have, the Lord may take them away.  It has taken me many years to realize that I should be thankful for even the smallest things.  By being thankful everyday, my life has greatly improved and brought me to greater accomplishments.  With that in mind, be sincere and truely appreciative of the things and people in your life.  This will bring great opportunity to your door.

          In closing "God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change... the Courage to change the things I can... and the Wisdom to know the difference."